Reusing Maps

[Sparky McDibben]

So, I have a question. I'm creating an order of militant demagogue rationalists who have several chapter-houses near a hub city. I was wondering if I could simply use the same map for each chapter-house, with the in-world justification that this group simply "copy-pastes" the same floor-plan with varied inhabitants and room purposes. I think this would reward the player mapping and paying attention to detail ("Aha! If this floor plan is the same, there should also be a secret door here!"), but I'm wondering if there are hangups I'm missing.

[Imbalance]

Are you using terrain and miniatures? It would be simple enough to describe the exterior of each building in identical terms, but once inside find that each locale has its own flavor (or vice versa). Using the same set of tiles every time but with nuanced distinctions should be fine and interesting.

[Sparky McDibben]

Are you using terrain and miniatures?

I don't really use terrain or minis - I'll sketch out the layout on a Chessex map or something, but that's as far as I go.

[DeadMech]

So like a roman military camp. All laid out using the same guiding principles so that soldiers from one end of the empire could arrive at a fort on the other end and know exactly where things were. I guess the only real hang up is to make sure you think out logical design issues. This group is going to be reusing the same design over and over again (presumably) because they think it's efficient and not because they are simply lazy or cheap. Depending how long they have been using this pre-planned architecture they should have ironed out logistical issues. Like a good kitchen there should be a flow with as little getting in the way of necessary tasks in their necessary order.

As for secret doors and such, just try not to leave an obvious weakpoint that could be exploited by enemies of this group. A group losing one battle and then having all of it's fortifications become obsolete because now everyone knows about the secret poorly guarded backdoor, is not going to last long. So those identical secrets should be internal.


I don't really use terrain or minis - I'll sketch out the layout on a Chessex map or something, but that's as far as I go.

Might be worth investing in making a relatively nice map drawn or printed on paper if it's going to see repeated use. You can just tape a few sheets together at the edges and fold it up for later. And you can just print out a new one if the old one gets stained or spilled on.

[Sparky McDibben]

So like a roman military camp.

That was my touchpoint, yes.


Might be worth investing in making a relatively nice map drawn or printed on paper if it's going to see repeated use. You can just tape a few sheets together at the edges and fold it up for later. And you can just print out a new one if the old one gets stained or spilled on.

That's a good idea and an interesting consideration. Thanks!

[Sigreid]

Sure, it even makes sense for an organization to have the same floor plan for every one of their outposts. Saves design and build time if you know at the start what your going to do. Also, you can move people around better if they don't have to re-learn the floor plan. So, yeah, particularly a lawful (orderly) organization setting up their structures and grounds around one or a few templates is totally reasonable.

[OldTrees1]

I am worried the NPCs would notice the security flaw in using the same password layout for each of their chapter-houses.

Would they have a mental blindspot for that security flaw? Why?

[J-H]

You're the DM. Do it, cut down your prep time and don't worry about it.

Not everything has to be perfect.

[Sparky McDibben]

Sure, it even makes sense for an organization to have the same floor plan for every one of their outposts. Saves design and build time if you know at the start what your going to do. Also, you can move people around better if they don't have to re-learn the floor plan. So, yeah, particularly a lawful (orderly) organization setting up their structures and grounds around one or a few templates is totally reasonable.

Thanks!


I am worried the NPCs would notice the security flaw in using the same password layout for each of their chapter-houses.

Would they have a mental blindspot for that security flaw? Why?

I lol'ed! :) I suspect it would be an internal thing - a secret door to the armory in each place, or a secret door escape for the Chapter Master.


You're the DM. Do it, cut down your prep time and don't worry about it.

Not everything has to be perfect.

Thanks; this is very helpful, actually!

[Sigreid]

Had a thought that if it's a religious organization they may not even have a choice. The layout may be essential to some rituals and ceremonies, kind of like the whole place is a giant magic circle. That would be cool.

[Sparky McDibben]

Had a thought that if it's a religious organization they may not even have a choice. The layout may be essential to some rituals and ceremonies, kind of like the whole place is a giant magic circle. That would be cool.

They're actually an anti-religious organization, but they don't know they've been co-opted by a bunch of beholders. :) So your point works either way!

[Sigreid]

They're actually an anti-religious organization, but they don't know they've been co-opted by a bunch of beholders. :) So your point works either way!

Then perhaps they're design is intended to interfere with divine surveillance. Or, you know, Beholders are crazy so you don't really need a reason for one to think this is the way it should be.

Edit: and on that last note, maybe a couple of different designs and eventually the party could figure out that the layout of the place can tell them which beholder is primary to that particular branch. Something clever players could use so animosity.

[Grod_The_Giant]

You're the DM. Do it, cut down your prep time and don't worry about it.

Not everything has to be perfect.
Abso-freaking-lutely this. In all likelihood your players won't even notice, especially if you're using a Chessex mat. And even if you had nice fancy Dungeondraft maps or something, they'd probably assume "these places are similar, J-H is reusing the same rough map."

And if anyone does complain, well... they just volunteered to design all of your maps in the future >:)

[OldTrees1]

I lol'ed! :) I suspect it would be an internal thing - a secret door to the armory in each place, or a secret door escape for the Chapter Master.

Those are precisely the security flaws I was thinking about. :)

If an enemy attacks one chapter house, they now have intel on how to better take out all the remaining chapter houses. Sort of like emailing the chapter blueprints to all your enemies.

However this flaw is not obvious. Some organizations would realize it, others would not.


This particular organization has "been co-opted by a bunch of beholders", so I expect they are arrogant enough to fail to see the security flaw.

[Zorku]

There are some videos on youtube on a channel called 2 minute table top that are pretty useful for quick map prep. They're doing something way more stylistic (and selling products,) but you can pare it down to what you can draw almost as fast as some stock floorplan, and honestly some imperfections would be more believable in a classic medieval fantasy setting.

There's a variety or stuff, but watching some of the vtt stuff helps with kind of developing a mental architecture for how you take a really simple shape, like some rectangular building, and liven it up. Besides watching the process, they've got a bunch of free assets- which I don't use because I'm just drawing on a mat, but you should be able to imagine what it would look like to make a bunch of different house shapes and see how you're pretty free to shift stuff around pretty much free hand and still have it look like a decent building.

Level of detail will vary quite a bit if you try to lay out the map as fast as players get to it or if you're decked out and have maps drawn up a couple of hours in advance.

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Conceptually I only really need a map to be as big as the current encounter. It's nice to have this bigger structure present, but old school stuff often had the players drawing any bigger map as they went, and it wasn't strictly necessary for the dm to have a master map with the true details, though that was certainly convenient if the players would notice any inconsistencies.

But like, a forest clearing, a bridge over a stream, a chasm- you can use the same map over and over, but if you move just a couple of things around the players will easily perceive each one as being unique. 12 buildings that all have a room with 4-6 beds with some kind of chest or dresser, some kind of meeting room, and a little kitchen space? Totally plausible that a bunch of people living the same way just wouldn't have other kinds of rooms.

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I kind of want to get a bunch of overhead projector sheets to just lay down over my battle mat with furniture and doodads drawn on them. Haven't actually tried it, but it's conceivable that I could populate spaces really smoothly as the party enters them, or do some weird stuff for different floors of the same building.